Black women are 3-4x more likely to die from pregnancy related causes then white women.

Black infants have 2.3x the infant mortality rate compared to white babies and are 3.8 times as likely to die from complications related to low birth weight.

Black women over the age of 30 are 4-5x more likely to lose their baby than their white counterparts.

Black women with a college degree are 5x more likely to lose their baby than white women with a high school education.

The causes

• Black women have limited opportunities. Economically disadvantaged Black women are more likely to live in communities that have fewer educational resources and employment opportunities. 

• Black women face accumulated stress. Black women are more likely to be affected by the accumulated stress of discrimination regardless of socioeconomic status.

• Systemic racism and implicit bias in health care. The social and economic forces of systematic racial bias—not race itself—compromises health in Black women and the health of their future children. 

• Access to health care. Women in poverty are more likely to have limited access to health care services, adequate food, transportation, and housing.

Historical trauma and compounded grief in the Black community

• Grief Compounded by Historical Trauma. The Black community has endured a legacy of loss in America from generations of racial trauma at the root of slavery, Jim Crow segregation laws, police brutality, community violence and systematic oppression. Disproportionate rates of infant and maternal death further complicate the grieving process in the Black community.

• The strong Black woman myth. Black women are perceived as invincible, strong, and resilient. In their strength, Black women have learned to bear silent pain to survive. 

Although vulnerability may be considered a weakness in the Black community, feeling pain after experiencing loss is a universal, human emotion. It’s okay to grieve and seek support.

• Grieve in a way that feels right to you. Take time to sit with your grief. Find coping strategies that work for you. Perform grief rituals to help you heal.

• Seek support. Surround yourself with people who support you. Contact health professionals when you need help. Join support groups for bereaved families.

• Faith and therapy can coexist.  Although faith is a source of strength for many in the Black community, it often does not allow for despair. It is believed that if a person has enough faith, there is no need to grieve. Seeking help during the grieving process is not cause to question your faith. It is important to find ways both to keep faith and make space for the grief.

To learn more: 

• Fact Sheet: Maternal Mental Health—Black women and birthing people (Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance)

• Black Maternal Health MOMNIBUS general article and details

• Black Mothers Matter: Racism and Childbirth in America | USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

• The New York Times: Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis

• Aftershock Documentary

• Turning Tragedy into Opportunity: 5 Things I learned about Using My Voice After My Son Died by Kima Tozay, LICSW